India-Afghanistan Engagement

The recent meeting between India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and the Taliban regime’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai on Wednesday is a clear signal that India time is not far when the age-old relations between India and Afghanistan will be back to normal. Afghans have always been valued as good friends of India from old times. The image of a chivalrous Pathan known for his bravery and large heartedness is etched in the Indian psyche. Who can forget the 1961 Hindi Film “Kabuliwala” based on the 1892 short story of Rabindranath Tagore.This film featured famous Hindi film star Balraj Sahni in the lead role,who immortalised the character of a brave Pathan who never lets his friends down and shows his affection for the child. The famous song of this movie “Aye Mere Pyare Watan……..(Oh My Beloved Motherland…..) is an all-time hit sung by another genius singer Manna Dey. This song was written by Prem Dhawan and its music was composed by another legend Salil Chowdhury.Not only that the love of the Afghans for the Hindi films ,Hindi film stars and Indian music is noteworthy. Those who remember the days when entertainment was the monopoly of the radio broadcasting, Radio Kabul used to broadcast the select songs of the Hindi films that were enjoyed not only in Afghanistan but in India as well.But the all sweet relations went haywire when Afghanistan was made a launching pad of terrorism in the wake of Cold War and the Afghan society was divided and land of the brave Pathans was used to recruit mercenaries to develop the groups of radicals. Pakistan used the foreign aid meant to fight the cold war by the US through its ISI to inflict thousand cuts on India.The result was the ethno-religious conflict in Jammu and Kashmir that enabled terrorism to destabilise India.Now the engagement of India with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan that has taken over needs to be seen in the context.Taliban was once arm twisted by Pakistan to use it as its strategic depth to leverage its role and at the same time it amassed weapons and wealth. But things are changing as Taliban and Pakistan are confronting each other.The reason being that the terrorism that Pakistan engineered and nurtured has started to act against its own people.Pakistan wants the Taliban to rein the radicals and in that it has started to cross the Durand Line that has been contested by the Afghans. Recently Pakistan was involved in killing the Afghans this has led to estrangement.Moreover China too has its eyes on the Afghan resources. Pakistan and China nexus has been acting against Afghanistan’s interests.This is leading to a shift in Afghanistan’s polity that wants to uphold its freedom and rights. As per the media reports Indian engagement with Afghanistan is meant to revive the friendly relations that includes the Indian investments and the support to the Afghan refugees.It includes the support in medical facilities and education.Besides that India wants to use its influence to end the nurturing of anti –India terror groups patronised by Pakistan in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has assured that it will not allow its soil to be used for anti-India activities.Only time will tell what will emerge from this engagement when it comes to the relations between the two old friends.